Ho Ho Ho now i have a machine gun

[padredan]

thanks, the owner is a world war two renactor, so i guess i't's t for him to use for that. I think i heard a real functioning and trasferable thompson starts around 20k and goes up from there,so i guess these are alot cheaper, the owner gave me some parts i neeeded for my harley davidson to build it ,so we are both happy.

[rhuff]

You MIGHT be able to purchase an M1, or M1A1 for $20K, but a nice 1921,1925, 1928 will cost you more than that....at least in my part of the country. A good friend and a Class 3 dealer just paid(last year) $35K for a nice, but incorrect,1921 with an aftermarket hard case. A true original FBI hard case in excellent condition will bring $5K or more, with nothing in it!!! I guess that is just where they are these days. There aren't going to be any more unless we have another amnesty, and I wouldn't hold my breath for that to occur.

[Arizona Slim]

rhuff, you are making me cry, while stationed at Ft. Campbell, KY. in the early '60"s I had a friend that owned a gun shop in neighboring Tenn. that had what looked like a mint Thompson in the violin type case with a drum and two stick magazines, he wanted $300. for it, that's HUNDRED, I turned it down because I did not have the proper license to own an automatic weapon and I didn't want a visit from the FBI., when I turned him down he said he could take it to Chicago and get $500. for it. I don't know what became of it. He also had a full automatic pistol that he said was a .22 cal. Italian made pistol, we went out behind his shop and he fired off a clip full and I swear the empty's had the shortest spread coming out of that pistol I have ever seen, don't know what it was but it sure was impressive.

Lon

[padredan]

The owner says he has the correct sling ordered for it. 300 dollars was alot of money back in the 60's , i remember seeing my first realy nice luger in the early 60's with the matching holster, and he had paid 100.00 for it, i was thinking that guy was nuts to pay that. What did i know.

[rhuff]

Originally Posted by Arizona Slim

rhuff, you are making me cry, while stationed at Ft. Campbell, KY. in the early '60"s I had a friend that owned a gun shop in neighboring Tenn. that had what looked like a mint Thompson in the violin type case with a drum and two stick magazines, he wanted $300. for it, that's HUNDRED, I turned it down because I did not have the proper license to own an automatic weapon and I didn't want a visit from the FBI., when I turned him down he said he could take it to Chicago and get $500. for it. I don't know what became of it. He also had a full automatic pistol that he said was a .22 cal. Italian made pistol, we went out behind his shop and he fired off a clip full and I swear the empty's had the shortest spread coming out of that pistol I have ever seen, don't know what it was but it sure was impressive.

Lon

I know what you mean about opportunities back in the "good old days". Many times the opportunities were there, but no money to take advantage of it. I purchased my 1928 TSM in 1971. It took 6 months for the Federal paperwork to go through, and it took me that long to get the dollars together to purchase it. I am soooooo glad that I did it now that the prices have gone nuts!! I couldn't purchase one today at these prices.

[Steve Lempitski]

2 months back I did an instrument repair at the NY State Police barracks in Albany. Across the hall from the crime lab was a rack of Thompsons. I told the lab supervisor I would gladly rip up the repair bill if they let me take one of them home....

[ripcord810]

A couple of years ago we had a full auto shoot that came to town twice a year. About 60 or 75 class 3 holders would attend and the public could watch for $5. On my first visit one of the regulars with a M1A1 offered to let me fire a full drum. I jumped at the chance. These guys also made sure that any child over 10 or so got a chance to fire an automatic. My son got to sit behind a 30 cal water cooled machine gun and fire off a full belt. Truely a great day for us both!! The shoot has sence been cancelled.

[padredan]

well, those days are growing to a close fast,

[alanint]

Sadly, that's true. Not only for liability reasons but also because ammo has gotten so expensive.

Ripcord, what you probalby fired was a 1921 or 1928 Thompson. The M1A1 is incapable of utilizing a drum magazine.

[Steve Lempitski]

Buddy of mine sold in the 80's what I understand was a very rare Thompson with a 100 round drum - his father was Deputy Chief of the Barnstable MA PD and aquired it in the 60s when taken out of service. He explained the rarity was due to the fact it was a .38 caliber not .45 ACP. Online research did state some were made in .38 super caliber.

[rhuff]

Originally Posted by Steve Lempitski

Buddy of mine sold in the 80's what I understand was a very rare Thompson with a 100 round drum - his father was Deputy Chief of the Barnstable MA PD and aquired it in the 60s when taken out of service. He explained the rarity was due to the fact it was a .38 caliber not .45 ACP. Online research did state some were made in .38 super caliber.

Now THAT would be worth a HUGE CHUNK OF CHANGE!!! I have read about them, but never seen one. When I purchased my TSM, I also purchased a "L"(50 round) drum.....it HAD to have a drum. I was offered a "C"(100 round) Drum for about twice the price of the "L" drum. I had no more money to spend, and, obviously, no forethought. They bring big bucks these days.

[Steve Lempitski]

He had to sell it as his father died, and here he is with an NFA weapon. As I recall he told me it went to a collector in TX, Anyway, Kevin did say the 100 round drum had BARNSTABLE PD in white lettering on the front for anybody facing the business end to clearly see LOL

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by postino

We can't???

I had been seriously considering a kit when they were still $995...When did they stop allowing 'parts kits'???

Rich, my fingers were typing before my brain was engaged, but what I think I thought I meant was a kit married to a functional receiver, not all the parts added to a dummy. Um, that, in this case would be I!